How to Show the Actual To Address of Outlook Messages

Learn how to show the actual to address of Outlook messages in Office 365 using a custom column and a formula. This article explains the steps and the benefits of this feature.

Problem

If you use Outlook for Office 365, you may have noticed that the to address of the messages you receive is not always displayed. Instead, you may see the name of the sender or the recipient, or the name of a distribution list or a group. This can be confusing and inconvenient, especially if you want to reply to a specific email address or filter your messages by the to address. Fortunately, there is a way to show the actual to address of Outlook messages in Office 365 using a custom column and a formula. In this article, we will show you how to do that and why it is useful.

What is the To Address of an Outlook Message?

The to address of an Outlook message is the email address that the message was sent to. It is different from the from address, which is the email address that the message was sent from. The to address can be a single email address, or multiple email addresses separated by semicolons. The to address can also be a name that represents an email address, such as a contact name, a display name, or a group name.

The to address of an Outlook message is usually shown in the message header, which is the part of the message that contains information about the sender, the recipient, the subject, the date, and other metadata. However, the message header is not always visible in the Outlook interface, and it may not show the full email address of the to address. Instead, it may show only the name of the sender or the recipient, or the name of a distribution list or a group. This can make it difficult to identify the actual email address of the to address, and to perform actions such as replying, forwarding, filtering, or searching based on the to address.

Why Show the Actual To Address of Outlook Messages?

Showing the actual to address of Outlook messages can have several benefits, such as:

• It can help you verify the authenticity and legitimacy of the messages you receive, and avoid phishing or spam emails that may use fake or spoofed email addresses.
• It can help you manage your inbox more efficiently, and sort, filter, or search your messages by the to address. For example, you can create rules or folders based on the to address, or use the search box to find messages that were sent to a specific email address.
• It can help you communicate more effectively, and reply to the correct email address or person. For example, you can avoid replying to a distribution list or a group when you only want to reply to a single person, or you can choose the appropriate email address when you want to reply to multiple recipients.

How to Show the Actual To Address of Outlook Messages in Office 365?

To show the actual to address of Outlook messages in Office 365, you need to create a custom column and use a formula to display the email address of the to address. Here are the steps to do that:

1. Open Outlook for Office 365 and go to the Mail view.
2. Select the folder that contains the messages you want to show the to address for, such as the Inbox or the Sent Items.
3. Click on the View tab in the ribbon, and then click on Add Columns in the Current View group.
4. In the Show Columns dialog box, click on New Column.
5. In the New Column dialog box, enter a name for the new column, such as To Address.
6. In the Type drop-down list, select Formula.
7. In the Formula box, enter the following formula:

   IIf (InStr ( [SearchToEmail], "@") = 0, "", Left ( [SearchToEmail], InStr ( [SearchToEmail], "@") - 1)+"@"+Mid ( [SearchToEmail],InStr ( [SearchToEmail],"@")+1))

   This formula checks if the to address contains the @ symbol, and if so, it extracts the email address from the to address. If not, it returns an empty string.

8. Click OK to close the New Column dialog box.
9. In the Show Columns dialog box, select the new column and use the Move Up or Move Down buttons to adjust its position in the column list. You can also change the width of the column by entering a value in the Width box.
10. Click OK to close the Show Columns dialog box and apply the changes.

You should now see the actual to address of Outlook messages in the new column. You can also sort, filter, or search your messages by the to address using the new column.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How can I show the actual from address of Outlook messages in Office 365?

Answer: You can use the same steps as above, but use the [SearchFromEmail] field instead of the [SearchToEmail] field in the formula.

Question: How can I show the actual to address of Outlook messages in other versions of Outlook?

Answer: You can use the same steps as above, but the formula may vary depending on the version of Outlook. For example, in Outlook 2016, you can use the following formula:

IIf (InStr ( [To], \"@\") = 0, \"\", Left ( [To], InStr ( [To], \"@\") - 1)+\"@\"+Mid ( [To],InStr ( [To],\"@\")+1))

Question: How can I show the actual to address of Outlook messages in the message header?

Answer: You can show the message header by double-clicking on the message to open it in a new window, and then clicking on the File tab in the ribbon, and then clicking on Properties in the Info group. You can then see the to address in the Internet headers box.

Summary

In this article, we have shown you how to show the actual to address of Outlook messages in Office 365 using a custom column and a formula. This can help you verify, manage, and communicate with the email addresses of the messages you receive. We have also answered some frequently asked questions related to this topic.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Outlook. You should always use caution and common sense when following any instructions or suggestions in this article. We are not responsible for any damages or losses that may result from your use of this article.